


Two Princes Decrowned [WC AU Oneshot]

by wavewisp



Series: One-off Warriors AUs [2]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gen, Oneshot, brambleclaw doesnt betray firestar but it goes horribly wrong this time au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 12:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16346522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wavewisp/pseuds/wavewisp
Summary: And another one bites the dust





	Two Princes Decrowned [WC AU Oneshot]

The lake gently lapped at the rocky shore, making a calm noise. Claw marks of orange sunlight danced on the water alongside the dappled white reflections. The sun was setting and stained the sky a beautiful pink, and the winds whispered through the deciduous trees and bushes, rustling the leaves just slightly. The scenery itself was serene, but what was occurring on the lakeside was far from that descriptor. 

 

A large ginger cat writhed in agony on the ground. Blood dripped from his mouth as he violently swiped his paws at the contraption on his neck; a silver, steel, toothed fox trap. Fresh blood stained the clamps of the trap and shone unnaturally, amplified by the steel beneath it. 

Two more cats were at the scene. One of them, a rather large brown tabby with amber eyes, watched the ginger cat in shock, his eyes wide and tail bushed out. The other, an average sized brown tabby with a white marking on his chest and blue eyes, stood rather calmly. He observed the ginger cat and then the other brown tabby that stood beside him.

 

“Well, Brambleclaw, I’ve got this all set up for you.” The second tabby spoke above the grunts of pain from the ginger tom. “All you’ve got to do is the  _ quick _ dirty work, and you’ve got a free path to the leadership of ThunderClan.” 

Brambleclaw’s fur slowly flattened and he stood to his full height, though his chest still heaved with panicked, heavy breaths. The ginger cat seemed to finally understand what was happening. Though he still struggled to free himself, he met his gaze with the tabby’s. It glimmered with a dark emotion he couldn’t quite describe. 

 

Nodding, Brambleclaw padded up to the writhing ginger. He unsheathed his claws and took a deep breath. The ginger cat closed his eyes, anticipating the blow, and then…

The tabby swiped. But he did not strike the other cat, he struck the stake that held the trap in the ground and knocked it free.

He turned on the other tabby and hissed, claws still unsheathed. “Hawkfrost, you fox-heart! I will never betray my Clan!” 

 

Hawkfrost unsheathed his claws and immediately lowered into a battle stance. He snarled quickly in reply. “I knew it!” He lunged for the other tabby with immense ferocity. 

Brambleclaw lept to the side to dodge his attack, but still caught the rake of claws on the side of his neck, scraping some fur loose. Hawkfrost caught his ground from the failed attack immediately, turning on Brambleclaw and hissing. 

 

Time flew by but it also stopped. Every detail caught Brambleclaw’s attention but there was no time to dwell. He’d seen Hawkfrost’s attack stance many times before; but this time it was real. Real rage- a blue fire seething in his icy eyes, real intent to kill. The large ginger tom had stopped moving at this point, and Brambleclaw knew he was losing a life. How many did Firestar even have left to lose? He knew he had to make this quick. 

 

Frantically as prey, Brambleclaw again leapt out of the way of Hawkfrost’s pounce. He grabbed the wooden stake in his teeth and ran, if only to give himself just a few seconds to plan. Expecting Hawkfrost to be on his tail, he whipped around, the stake protruding from his teeth. He expected blood, a death choke, and the horrid emotions that would sting worse than any wound. On all accounts, he expected wrong. 

  
A weight crashed down on his back, knocking all four paws out from under him and knocking the stake out of his mouth. Struggling to regain his breath, he watched the stake roll away on the rock, just out of reach. Shaking, Brambleclaw tried to rise to his paws, and stumble back towards the stake. Too late.

 

A heavy, glancing blow to his shoulder sent the already weakened tabby sprawling across the rocks. He winced from the pain and couldn’t bring himself to move. His lungs couldn’t seem to hold air anymore. Finally bringing himself to open his eyes, he saw Hawkfrost walking towards him menacingly, holding the stake in his mouth. Brambleclaw tried to scramble away to attempt a defensive maneuver, but the lighter tabby pressed a forepaw down on Brambleclaw’s cheek; pushing his head down onto the stones. 

 

Brambleclaw looked up at Hawkfrost with his one unobscured eye, trying to not let his fear grow too obvious. Still, he could smell his own fear-scent. He silently hoped that Hawkfrost believed it was Firestar’s. 

 

Hawkfrost snarled, his face obscured and voice muffled by the large wooden stake he held. “You’re awfully bold to insinuate that I’M a traitor, Brambleclaw.” He made his point clearer by unsheathing the claws on the paw he held to his half-brother’s face, forcing Brambleclaw to close his eye lest he be clawed there. “You’re the traitor. To me, to father, to ThunderClan. You know I’m right. I can smell your fear-scent. You act but you can’t face the consequences.” 

 

Brambleclaw flattened his ears and let out a hiss of defiance with the last of the air in his chest. He finally decided that he hated Tigerstar and all he standed for. But he couldn’t bring himself to hate Hawkfrost. Maybe, just maybe if he could coax him out of the cloak of Tigerstar’s manipulative ways....

 

All was forgotten when Hawkfrost let out a powerful cuff that rolled Brambleclaw onto his back. Swiftly, the RiverClan warrior pressed a steady paw on Brambleclaw’s chest- forcing any drop of air that was left out of his chest and leaving the ThunderClan deputy wheezing. “You’re a fool. We could’ve ruled the Clans together. You know what you deserve.” 

 

Everything happened too fast for Brambleclaw to comprehend. But what he could grasp was pain. Immediate, striking, white-hot pain that coursed through his entire body and sourced in his neck. Choking out blood and wheezing desperately for air, he flailed his paws at his neck, trying frantically to dislodge the stake. The horrible retching sounds he was making filled his ears; and surely filled the forest. The agony was unbearable, but he couldn’t even yowl. In a state of fierce panic, Brambleclaw’s gaze met Hawkfrost’s. The RiverClan warrior had stepped to the side, and stared at Brambleclaw in horror, his fur bushed up; as if he couldn’t even believe what he’d just done. And yet, in a moment, that true emotion was gone. Suddenly Hawkfrost regained his cool composition- Brambleclaw swore he saw his brother’s eyes glint with a terrifying amber- and with another swipe, knocked the ThunderClan cat into the shallows of the lake. 

 

Only a matter of seconds, but it felt like an eternity to the dying Brambleclaw. This must’ve been what Firestar felt like; Oh, StarClan, what happens to Firestar? Fleeting thoughts entered Brambleclaw’s mind like a violent storm. He could feel the water ripple and a new yowl pierced the air, full of fury. Brambleclaw caught only a glimpse of the golden fur and the identity of this cat immediately clicked. Mothwing. Please, StarClan, keep her and Firestar safe.

 

Time was running out fast. Brambleclaw’s death chokes were silenced as his muzzle lay underwater- even when he spasmed. The forest was going white, and his thoughts became increasingly disoriented, like a gigantic fog. Dying, StarClan, Tigerstar, die, die, no, dying, help, Mothwing, i’m dying, save, Firestar, please, ThunderClan, help, lake, forest, dying, so cold, Firestar, SQUIRRELFLIGHT

 

Brambleclaw was brought back to reality for a brief second upon feeling a force dragging, shaking his body. He saw Squirrelflight: Firestar’s daughter and his mate. She looked like she was yowling at the top of her lungs at him, but he couldn’t hear anything over the pounding in his ears. He took in the last sight of her brilliant green eyes, but his vision went completely white all too soon.  _ Squirrelflight. I’m so sorry. _

 


End file.
